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Actor Yasuoka Rikiya passes away

On April 8th, it was revealed that actor Yasuoka Rikiya passed away due to heart failure in a Tokyo hospital earlier this morning. He was suffering from liver cancer. Although, He had received a liver transplantation from a liver donated by his eldest son in August, 2010, there continued to be complications. Yasuoka Rikiya was 65 years old.

The funeral service will only be attended by his close relatives, but a memorial for his friends and colleagues is planned to take place in the near future. His eldest son is the chief mourner.

Yasuoka was famous for depicting 'villain' roles in many TV and film productions. He made his debut in 1964 in the movie "Jidosha Dorobo". Moreover, he was the vocalist for the rock band Sharp Hawks.

In the 1970s, he appeared in the movie series "Furyo Bancho", starring Umemiya Tatsuo. Later, he continued to make a name for himself on-screen as a badass yakuza in "Tanpopo" (1985) and Ridley Scott's "Black Rain" (1989).

During the 1980s, he also became the 'Hotateman' character in the popular variety program 'Oretachi Hyokin Zoku' (Fuji TV) and was loved by many children. He also appeared in the variety program 'Downtown no Gottsu Ee Kanji' (Fuji TV) in a corner called 'Rikiya-chan to Asobou'.